sexual purity, abstinence, armed and virtuous

Glad you found us! This site has one objective: to help you win the spiritual battle for purity, in every sense of the word. Society encourages us to throw away our virtue; the message sent out by the media is: "everyone's doing it!" We are here to prove that statement wrong! Come in, read some encouraging testimonies, chat with others who strive to remain pure, and reaffirm your belief that purity, sexual and otherwise, is not only possible, but totally worth it!

Monday, May 21, 2012

Last week we discussed how to ask God for the things we need. It's true: we shouldn't be afraid to come to God in prayer. We should not be afraid to ask Him for our needs. However, it's important to constantly monitor our motives and make sure our priorities are straight when doing the asking.

It's so easy to come to God from a selfish perspective. It's natural for our need to drive us to prayer, but sometimes we confuse needs with wants, and even allow our wants to consume us; turning our prayer time into a speech to God, rather than a dialogue with Him.

In my time of asking lately, I've struggled with how to pray. Finally, I found myself saying, "God, I don't want any part of something that is not your will for me. I want to be found pleasing in Your sight, so please remove from me what is not in your plan, and remove the desire from my heart."

As soon as the words left my heart, I felt like God's response was, "Yes! Way to go! That's what I wanted to hear from you!"

Ironically, I felt free to proceed with the asking. My heart was free of selfish motives, so I could make my petitions known in peace.

I'm sharing this with you so that you, too can do a little soul searching. What is it you truly desire? Is it a thing? A relationship? An opportunity? A career? Here's the next question to keep in mind: Why do you desire it? Do you want to advance yourself, or the God you serve? Who will receive the glory, you or Him?

If you can pray these few verses before beginning your request to God, I believe you will be safely asking according to His word. Why struggle with the desire for what is worthless? Anything less than His desires for you mean nothing, so ask God to remove the desire for things that have no value and turn your heart toward those that do.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Philippians 4:6-7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with
thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts
and minds through Christ Jesus (NKJV).

Do you have any needs? Any wants? Any concerns? I'm sure you do. Lately, I've found myself with a long list of prayer requests, from all areas of my life, with all levels of importance. Some are emergencies that send me weeping to my knees, others are not-so-desperate, but concerns nonetheless. Still others are wishes; things I long to come to pass, both for myself and my family.

I was struggling with how to pray. I didn't want to sound greedy, or ungrateful for my current situation. Then God led me to these verses. His response to me was,

"April, you have needs, so ASK."

It seems so simple, why was I struggling? My children aren't afraid to ask me for anything. If they're hungry or thirsty they ask. If they have a problem, they ask for help. They even ask for things they want; a toy, a chance to watch TV, a snack. What is my response? It depends on the situation. I want to give them what they need, and most of what they want. Obviously I know better than they what they truly need, so occasionally, I have to say "no" to their requests.

That's how God feels toward us. He loves us and wants to meet our needs. He even desires to give us what we want, in fact, sometimes He causes us to desire something, because it's His will to give it to us! So, according to this verse, here's the attitude that we should adopt when asking something of God:

(Be anxious for nothing) Don't worry: That's the biggie for me. Instead of stressing out about where the solution will come from, go straight to the Provider. Take the concern to Him and avoid useless stress.

but in everything:No problem is too big for God to handle, and no problem is too small for Him to care about. He loves you, and because He loves you what matters to you matters to Him.

by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God: Here's the "ask" part, and it has a very important qualifier. Ask with respect and with a thankful heart. When my children make demands of me, I don't respond very well. When they ask respectfully, I'll be more inclined to consider their request. Does this mean that if we ask with the correct attitude, the answer will always be "yes?", not necessarily. God knows what is in our best interest, and if we truly believe this, we must accept His decisions as such. That's where the thanksgiving part comes in. Be thankful regardless of His response. He could say "yes", "no", or "wait".

and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding: The result of your prayer will be peace. The problem may not go away immediately. In fact, it might seem to get bigger, but in the midst of the storm, you will have peace. Those around you may not understand why you're not stressing. Ironically, this is the example of Christ at work in our lives. We don't have to know what the solution is, we don't have to know when it's coming, we only need to know that we're not alone in our fight, and that our God is bigger than the problem.

will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus: Jesus will guide your heart to the correct attitude and your mind to the solution in each and every situation, little or big.

If you have burdens, no matter what they are, bring them to God. He loves you dearly. You are his precious child and He wants to help you. Beyond that, He wants to bless you with the best of gifts. So get over the worry, get on your knees, and ask!

Friday, May 11, 2012

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right,
whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is
excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things (NIV).

I was introduced to this video the other day and felt led to share it with you. This is such an inspiring, real-life story! It gives us another glimpse at just how precious all life is to God. What moves me most, is how this young lady's face conveys the emotion of her heart, even without a single word being spoken. May God bless this young mother as she courageously raises her son, and may we all count our blessings, realizing that life is truly valuable to God. God must have mighty plans for this child!

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

We're back, and today we have a beautiful testimony to share with you! I'm so excited about this one, because this is a real life example of what God designed marriage to be. I could go on, but I don't want to take away from the story, it speaks for itself:

Dear April,

Yes there is a
"happily ever after", and my husband and I are proof of it.I read a sign the other day that said,
"True romance is not a young couple dying together like Romeo and Juliet,
but an old couple who have lived happily together for many years", and
that is the story of my husband and me. We met when we were both in our teens,
have been happily married for 57 years, and are still in love!

We were both Christians and have always felt
strongly that God picked us out us for one another.You young people may think it was easier to
remain a virgin in the 1950's, but human nature has always been the same, and
we were certainlytempted, but with
God's grace, we waited, and have always been glad. We've had a wonderful life
together, and consider ourselves a truly blessed couple.We have had some sorrows, as everyone does in
this life, but God has been our strength, and never failed us.

When we married,
I was just out of high school, and my husband was in college.He got a job as an accountant, worked hard
and finally became a Certified Public Accountant with his own business. We have
three wonderful daughters, nine grandchildren, and four
great-grandchildren.Most are living for
Jesus. When I was 40 years old, and my youngest child was 16, I enrolled in a
university, earned a teaching degree, and taught school for 20 years. Now we
are retired, and living in a beautiful part of the country. Our family is
somewhat scattered, but we all love one another and get together as often as we
can.

My husband and I love one another more than ever and truly enjoy being
together. It's really special to know that we waited for one another, and have
been true throughout the years.He tells
me daily that he loves me, that I am beautiful (Which is nice to hear when
you're 76), and that he doesn't know what he would do without me, and I feel
the same about him. He is truly my soulmate, and the husband of my dreams.

Weknowwe may have to be separated for a time if one of us goes to Heaven
first, but we will eventually spend eternity together with God, and a multitude
of friends and family.

Your ministry is so valuable, April, encouraging young
people to stay pure and to wait and live the wonderful life God has planned for
each of them. It certainly worked for us, and is far better than a life of
regrets.

Love,

Olivia

May this precious love story encourage you in your commitment to purity and to God. Don't despair when your friends are absorbed in their "dating relationships." Focus on Jesus, your first love, and allow Him to write your love story, in His perfect timing.

About Me

My name is April M. Anderson, and I'm just a girl with a story. God laid a burden on my heart to pray for my husband when I was in the sixth grade. I prayed and waited for him for six years, dated him for three, and we've been married for 15 years. By God's grace, both my husband and I were virgins on our wedding day and we've been living out our "happily ever after" from that day on!